Tailgate Assist Case Studies
Karate Kid — Case of Tailgate Safety
Kids will be kids. Ever rambunctious, and full of dreams and energy. Unfortunately, for one 10 year old youngster,
that cost him his best friend — his father. Monkeying around in the back of his father’s pickup truck one weekend
while his dad was adjusting the hitch and rear bumper, this young man fired a karate kick to the tailgate in jest.
The tailgate was not tightly latched, and the force of the young man’s impact on the gate was enough to release it.
Unleashed, the weight and subsequent momentum of the tailgate slammed into his father’s head while he was bent over
the hitch assembly. The boat hitch was the least of this family’s worries for the next few hours, as the gentleman
was rushed to the emergency room of a nearby hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Two days later, his dad collapsed
of a cranial hemorrhage as a result of the impact of the uncontrolled truck tailgate. What a horrible tailgate safety
accident, with unthinkable results. Actually, in the US annually, almost 12,000 people are severely injured or
killed as the result of run-ins with truck tailgates. Tailgate safety is something not many people are concerned with,
but which is becoming much more important to be aware of as truck tailgates increase in height and weight.
Five Foot Two — Tailgate Accessories — Tailgate Assist
Sherry, the wife of a current full size truck owner, is full of spunk and game for just about anything that comes
along. Her husband got an incredible deal on their truck, including many truck accessories. The new truck is used as
a family vehicle by both of them; after school activities, grocery shopping, commuting, hauling, weekend errands and
trips, you name it. Sherry had her hands on her hips, though, a few months into handling and driving the truck. Yeah,
it looked nice, and handled well, had great truck accessories, but the d—— back end was an unbelievable nuisance!
Sherry you see, is only 5 feet 2 inches tall, and she faces the task of maneuvering the 5 foot tall tailgate of the
truck day in and day out when she drives it. She may have the will, but she certainly doesn’t have the stature,
strength, or agility to open the tailgate routinely on her own. The tailgate has just become an absolute irritant to
her in her daily routine. She worries, too, about her children and their ability to work the tailgate themselves
safely, or even their being safe in the vicinity of the tailgate when someone else is opening it. The tailgate assist
is the answer to all her tailgate handling problems. This truck accessory installs in minutes and slows the decent of
the tailgate with its tailgate assist feature. Tailgate access is now a hands-free, weight-free action for Sherry.
Gas Can Hank — Truck Tailgate Changes
Hank is a retiree who loves the great outdoors and tending to his 5 acre property. Spring, summer and fall you’ll
find him fussing over something in the yard, garden, driveway or exterior of the house. One of his passions is
mowing his lawn. This is his pride and joy, along with his home — the beautiful stretch of well manicured grass
that defines his residence. Unfortunately for Hank, arthritis has crept up on him, and is limiting some of the
routine chores that he never used to think twice about in making the rounds of his property upkeep. One of the
simplest of those chores was filling a 5 gallon gas can for the mower and heaving the full can into the back of his
pickup truck. These days, Hank can no longer lift that gas can over the high truck bed sides or over his truck
tailgate. His shoulders and knees just can’t support that effort, so he has to open the tailgate to toss the full
can of gas into the truck bed. Hank needs help lowering and raising that hefty truck tailgate, since he’s using it
much more frequently these days in lieu of his old routine of reaching over the top of the truck bed to use it.